An Easter Present
by Kristen3
Summary: Expecting her second child, Daphne has a hard time getting into the Easter celebration, until a surprising gesture from David makes Daphne appreciate everything she has. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **This is yet another bit of fluff that resulted from spending time with my niece. I just couldn't resist it once I had the idea! :D

Daphne didn't know how she'd make it through this day. Easter was supposed to be a happy day spent with friends and family. She knew she had to make it special for David, but Daphne was also eight months pregnant with her second child. She was beyond exhausted, no matter how much sleep she got. She carried David downstairs, with Niles close behind. The three-year-old chattered on about his Easter basket. It was astonishing how quickly he'd picked up the word in just the past couple of days.

"I hope I got lots of chocolate!" David exclaimed when Daphne set him down near the coffee table. The boy looked at his basket in confusion. There were several things in it, not one of which was edible. "What's this?" he asked.

Trying not to show her annoyance, Daphne bent down to show him what the Easter Bunny had brought. "Well, there's a couple new picture books here," she said, hoping he would get enthused.

But David remained unfazed. He stared at his mother, still wondering where the candy was.

"Look, here's a couple of eggs with money in them!" Daphne said, breaking open one of the plastic eggs. She knew David was far too young to appreciate the value of cash, but it was never too early to begin thinking of a child's future. Niles was already planning for his son to go to an Ivy League school, and they both knew it wouldn't come cheap. But David was still unimpressed. "Here's some crayons," Daphne said, now losing hope that this Easter could ever be successful.

David eyed the crayons, curious. At least he'd forgotten about sweets for the moment. "Let's get you some paper," Niles said helpfully. He walked away to his study, returning almost immediately with several blank sheets of paper. "Here, now you can draw."

It didn't take long for David to begin putting the new crayons to use. In no time, he'd made several colorful scribbles. He very quickly came running over to Daphne, paper in hand. "Oh, well, that's wonderful," Daphne said. "You're very talented." Daphne marveled the way her son seemed to have a nearly endless supply of energy. She did her best to fake it, but there was no way she could ever match his enthusiasm. "Go show Daddy," she said, handing him back his drawing.

With a giggle, David raced over to his father, eager to show him what he'd done. Niles gasped at the drawing. "That's lovely, son. Is this for your mom?" David nodded enthusiastically. Niles bent to his son's height. "You know, I used to give her gifts all the time. Just to let her know how special she was, and how much I cared." Niles smiled in his wife's direction.

Touched by his words, Daphne could only smile back. Niles really was such a wonderful husband.

Niles saw his wife's look, and turned back to David. "I really think your mother should keep this. Why don't you give it back to her?" David once again took the paper and returned it to his mother. All of this running back and forth seemed like the best game ever. When he reached her, David handed her the picture, and unexpectedly threw his tiny arms around her stomach.

Daphne enjoyed the hug for a moment. She knew it wasn't David's fault she was so tired right now. But she couldn't help the way she was feeling, either. Luckily, Niles sensed what was going on and sat on the couch right next to her. "My love, I can tell you're exhausted. I'll take care of David for awhile. Why don't you go back up and get some rest?"

Daphne smiled, grateful for the gesture. "That's very sweet of you, but this is a special day. Your father and Ronee are going to be here any moment. You know your father looks forward to this day nearly as much as David does!"

"Yes," Niles agreed. There was certainly no denying the way Martin felt about a holiday which involved spoiling his grandson, as well as eating sweets. Those were two of his favorite activities, and he wasn't about to pass up the chance to combine them. "But I think Dad will understand the situation." Niles glanced at the stomach, where their child was growing.

Knowing he was right, Daphne could only kiss her husband. Martin could hardly wait to meet his new grandchild-to-be. "I love you," she said when the kiss ended. "I promise I'll be a much better mum once this new baby's born."

Niles caressed her cheek. "You're a wonderful mother right now. David loves you. It's only natural for you to feel tired at this stage of your pregnancy. You need your rest. I'll call you when we're ready to eat. I can manage with David until Dad and Ronee get here, and we can entertain ourselves for a while until you're ready to join us."

Daphne sighed. She really was lucky to have a husband like Niles. "Thank you. I promise I'll make this up to you soon." She kissed him one more time, then stood to make her way upstairs. With some effort, Daphne managed to get to the top of the stairs and into the master bedroom. She glanced again at the drawing which was still in her hand. Even if it didn't look like much, Daphne knew without a doubt that David had drawn it for her with love. The boy could be a handful at times. There were days when Daphne was ready to give it all up, all of the many responsibilities that came with caring for this growing family. But, at moments like this, Daphne could never be anything but grateful. She knew she had the sweetest husband she could've ever hoped for. Not only that, she had a wonderful son on top of it. She could hardly imagine how this second child could make this family any more of a blessing than it already was.

**The End**


End file.
